Ridley Scott returns to the world of “Alien” — kind of — with “Prometheus,” a prequel that doesn’t see fit just to explore the origins of the creatures we encountered in those sci-fi/horror films but the origins of life on Earth, the meaning of existence and so on. So it’s a bit more ambitious than Scott’s 1979 “haunted house in space” movie. But if you were psyched for Scott’s return to science fiction for the first time since the masterpiece “Blade Runner,” lower those expectations right now.

“Prometheus” is often stunning to look at, but lurches haphazardly from inexplicable characterization to unexplained event to dumb contrivance on a plot level, completely failing not only to engage on a horrific or mysterious level but on a basic storytelling, point A to point B level. Its characters don’t act like people, the things they do don’t make sense and the events of the movie are frustratingly vague, only for characters at the end of the movie to remark on how frustratingly vague they were. So don’t expect much.

“Prometheus” follows an expedition funded by the Weyland Corporation to a far-away planet after two archaeologists (Noomi Rapace and Logan ­Marshall-Green) find the same star map in many caves across the world. Coming to the planet, they find a massive temple with evidence of the alien race that may have created mankind, and a horrifying and underdeveloped threat that could mean our end.

There’s a difference between coyness and just withholding information for the hell of it; “Prometheus” has ambitions beyond being a pulpy monster movie in space, but it fails at entertaining the big questions, and fails as even a pulpy monster movie in space! $29.98 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray.

“ROCK OF AGES”

Celebrity karaoke stretched out to interminable length with some semblance of a plot haphazardly thrown in there between musical numbers: there’s “Rock of Ages” in a nutshell, a flashy, noisy waste of time riding 1980s nostalgia into the ground as hard as it can.

It’s true, I guess, that musicals can get away with flimsy stories and shaky acting sometimes, but when all you’ve got otherwise are hair-metal standards sung spiritlessly and robotically by a cast of movie stars and bland lead characters, it’s hard to get by.

Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta lead the cast as two youngsters whose musical ambitions in 1980s Los Angeles lead them to work at the same nightclub on the Sunset Strip, the Bourbon Room, where rock ’n’ roll bands play loud and celebrate the whole culture of drinking and sex and all that stuff. Which of course draws the ire of the straight-laced new mayor (Bryan Cranston) and his Anita ­Bryant-esque wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who want that scourge out of their city, much to the consternation of the club’s owner (Alec Baldwin) and his closest confidant (Russell Brand).

To raise money to fight his debt and keep his club open, the Bourbon Room books a major concert from famous rocker Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise), through his unscrupulous manager (Paul Giamatti). Jaxx is resigning from his band, and his violent and unpredictable temperament draw the attention of a Rolling Stone reporter (Malin Akerman).

There are a couple other major characters and about 17 hours of ’80s covers somehow crammed into about two hours that feel like about two years. $28.98 DVD, $35.99 Blu-ray.

“THE RAVEN”

James McTeigue’s thriller presents an interesting imagining of the final days of the life of famed author and poet Edgar Allan Poe. Interesting in concept, I mean, as in execution it lurches forth and leaves a lot to be desired in the thrills department.

John Cusack stars as Poe, a drunken louche who does little but frequent bars, reminding patrons of his fame and renowned works. But a serial murderer begins killing people in manners that resemble his most gruesome stories, and after ruling him out as a suspect, a detective (Luke Evans) calls upon Poe to sober up and offer assistance to draw the killer, who seems to be obsessed with the writer, out of hiding. Worried for the life of his young fiancée (Alice Eve), Poe plays along, becoming drawn further and further into the intrigue and racing against time to find the madman before he kills again.

“The Raven” is poorly developed on both its mystery and its love story, so viewers flail desperately for some reason to care about the proceedings, even though Cusack is as ever a reliably appealing actor. Its moments of horror and gore in the mystery are flat-footed as well; “The Raven” can’t really decide if it wants to be historical mystery or full-blown horror film, and it fails at both. $29.98 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray.

“SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS”

In 2010, LCD Soundsystem released its biggest hit album to date, “This is Happening,” which rode a wave of critical adulation and seemed poised to break the band into the mainstream, charting in the Billboard Top 10. In 2011, the band announced it would disband following an April 2 farewell concert at Madison Square Garden in New York.

What compelled frontman James Murphy to hang it up? That question — along with selections from the final show — is the basis behind concert film “Shut Up and Play the Hits,” which chronicles the band’s four-hour final concert (not in full, don’t worry) and the 48 hours immediately surrounding it.

It helps if you’re, like me, a fan of the band, but “Shut Up and Play the Hits” is nevertheless a compelling look at an erstwhile rock star rejecting the life of public adulation in favor of keeping his relative anonymity and pursuing other efforts. (Murphy is also known as a producer and suggested that LCD Soundsystem, as a day job, was keeping him from other jobs he might be more interested in, like producing an Arcade Fire album.)

Directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace shoot the concert propulsively, with help from Spike Jonze, among others, behind the camera; this is intercut with a conversation and interview between Murphy and Chuck Klosterman. If these names mean anything to you, you’ll like “Shut Up and Play the Hits”; if you’re new to LCD Soundsystem, they put out three awesome albums, but, alas, no more are coming. $34.99 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray.

About This Blog

“PROMETHEUS”

Ridley Scott returns to the world of “Alien” — kind of — with “Prometheus,” a prequel that doesn’t see fit just to explore the origins of the creatures we encountered in those sci-fi/horror films but the origins of life on Earth, the meaning of existence and so on. So it’s a bit more ambitious than Scott’s 1979 “haunted house in space” movie. But if you were psyched for Scott’s return to science fiction for the first time since the masterpiece “Blade Runner,” lower those expectations right now.

“Prometheus” is often stunning to look at, but lurches haphazardly from inexplicable characterization to unexplained event to dumb contrivance on a plot level, completely failing not only to engage on a horrific or mysterious level but on a basic storytelling, point A to point B level. Its characters don’t act like people, the things they do don’t make sense and the events of the movie are frustratingly vague, only for characters at the end of the movie to remark on how frustratingly vague they were. So don’t expect much.

“Prometheus” follows an expedition funded by the Weyland Corporation to a far-away planet after two archaeologists (Noomi Rapace and Logan ­Marshall-Green) find the same star map in many caves across the world. Coming to the planet, they find a massive temple with evidence of the alien race that may have created mankind, and a horrifying and underdeveloped threat that could mean our end.

There’s a difference between coyness and just withholding information for the hell of it; “Prometheus” has ambitions beyond being a pulpy monster movie in space, but it fails at entertaining the big questions, and fails as even a pulpy monster movie in space! $29.98 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray.

“ROCK OF AGES”

Celebrity karaoke stretched out to interminable length with some semblance of a plot haphazardly thrown in there between musical numbers: there’s “Rock of Ages” in a nutshell, a flashy, noisy waste of time riding 1980s nostalgia into the ground as hard as it can.

It’s true, I guess, that musicals can get away with flimsy stories and shaky acting sometimes, but when all you’ve got otherwise are hair-metal standards sung spiritlessly and robotically by a cast of movie stars and bland lead characters, it’s hard to get by.

Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta lead the cast as two youngsters whose musical ambitions in 1980s Los Angeles lead them to work at the same nightclub on the Sunset Strip, the Bourbon Room, where rock ’n’ roll bands play loud and celebrate the whole culture of drinking and sex and all that stuff. Which of course draws the ire of the straight-laced new mayor (Bryan Cranston) and his Anita ­Bryant-esque wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who want that scourge out of their city, much to the consternation of the club’s owner (Alec Baldwin) and his closest confidant (Russell Brand).

To raise money to fight his debt and keep his club open, the Bourbon Room books a major concert from famous rocker Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise), through his unscrupulous manager (Paul Giamatti). Jaxx is resigning from his band, and his violent and unpredictable temperament draw the attention of a Rolling Stone reporter (Malin Akerman).

There are a couple other major characters and about 17 hours of ’80s covers somehow crammed into about two hours that feel like about two years. $28.98 DVD, $35.99 Blu-ray.

“THE RAVEN”

James McTeigue’s thriller presents an interesting imagining of the final days of the life of famed author and poet Edgar Allan Poe. Interesting in concept, I mean, as in execution it lurches forth and leaves a lot to be desired in the thrills department.

John Cusack stars as Poe, a drunken louche who does little but frequent bars, reminding patrons of his fame and renowned works. But a serial murderer begins killing people in manners that resemble his most gruesome stories, and after ruling him out as a suspect, a detective (Luke Evans) calls upon Poe to sober up and offer assistance to draw the killer, who seems to be obsessed with the writer, out of hiding. Worried for the life of his young fiancée (Alice Eve), Poe plays along, becoming drawn further and further into the intrigue and racing against time to find the madman before he kills again.

“The Raven” is poorly developed on both its mystery and its love story, so viewers flail desperately for some reason to care about the proceedings, even though Cusack is as ever a reliably appealing actor. Its moments of horror and gore in the mystery are flat-footed as well; “The Raven” can’t really decide if it wants to be historical mystery or full-blown horror film, and it fails at both. $29.98 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray.

“SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS”

In 2010, LCD Soundsystem released its biggest hit album to date, “This is Happening,” which rode a wave of critical adulation and seemed poised to break the band into the mainstream, charting in the Billboard Top 10. In 2011, the band announced it would disband following an April 2 farewell concert at Madison Square Garden in New York.

What compelled frontman James Murphy to hang it up? That question — along with selections from the final show — is the basis behind concert film “Shut Up and Play the Hits,” which chronicles the band’s four-hour final concert (not in full, don’t worry) and the 48 hours immediately surrounding it.

It helps if you’re, like me, a fan of the band, but “Shut Up and Play the Hits” is nevertheless a compelling look at an erstwhile rock star rejecting the life of public adulation in favor of keeping his relative anonymity and pursuing other efforts. (Murphy is also known as a producer and suggested that LCD Soundsystem, as a day job, was keeping him from other jobs he might be more interested in, like producing an Arcade Fire album.)

Directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace shoot the concert propulsively, with help from Spike Jonze, among others, behind the camera; this is intercut with a conversation and interview between Murphy and Chuck Klosterman. If these names mean anything to you, you’ll like “Shut Up and Play the Hits”; if you’re new to LCD Soundsystem, they put out three awesome albums, but, alas, no more are coming. $34.99 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray.